Just because it's holy water, it doesn't mean that it's also sterile water! To guard against swine flu, Italian inventor Luciano Marabrese invented the automatic holy water dispenser:

The terracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser in public washrooms — a churchgoer waves his or her hand under a sensor and the machine spurts out holy water.

"It has been a bit of a novelty. People initially were a bit shocked by this technological innovation but then they welcomed it with great enthusiasm and joy. The members of this parish have got used to it," said Father Pierangelo Motta.

Catholics entering and leaving churches usually dip their hands into fonts full of holy water — which has been blessed by a priest — and make the sign of the cross.

But fear of contracting the H1N1 virus has led many in Italy — where some 15 people have died of swine flu — not to dip their hands in the communal water font.

"It's great," said worshipper Marta Caimm as she entered the church. "Thanks to this we are not worried about catching swine flu. It is the right thing for the times," she said.

This is so necessary. I was at St. Patrick's in San Francisco this summer and witnessed a drunken homeless man put his face in the holy water bowl as he slurped it all up. I'm thinking "Ew, a dirty homeless man's face in the holy water.." and then I'm thinking, "Ew, and he drank the water that was touched by Lord knows how many dirty fingers..!"